15-story Channel district tower — with apartments, self-storage and retail — lands key city approval
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jun 16, 2020

One of the last remaining industrial corners in downtown Tampa's Channel district will be redeveloped to make way for a 15-story, mixed-use tower.

The city of Tampa has signed off on Dallas-based Lincoln Property Co.'s plans for the property. Aspire Channelside will span the entirety of the block of North Meridian Avenue between East Washington and East Whiting streets, according to plans filed with the city.

The 15-story residential tower, with a maximum of 330 units, will be at the corner of Meridian Avenue and East Whiting Street; the seven-story self-storage and parking portion, with ground floor retail, stretches north to the intersection with East Washington Street.

The city on Monday notified the development team that its proposal for the property is not a substantial change to previously approved zoning — which means it can proceed with its plans without a public hearing before city council.

A representative from Lincoln could not be reached for comment.

In 2018, a different developer pitched a similar tower on that site. Those plans were rejected, and the development partnership sued the city, reports Inside Self Storage, a trade publication. Hillsborough County court records show that the case was dismissed in January 2020.

It is the third major development to make progress in the Channel district during the coronavirus pandemic. A Birmingham developer has proposed a 19-story residential tower on the corner of Twiggs and North 12th streets; a local developer is pursuing the redevelopment of the JW Williams Oil Co.

The action comes as there is an initiative to sunset the district's Community Redevelopment Agency status to sweep its money into the general fund and be redirected to poorer neighborhoods. Read more here.